Selective Perception is a broad term to identify behavior where people tend to ‘see things’ based on their particular frame of reference. Selective perception may refer to any number of cognitive biases in psychology related to the way expectations affect perception.
For instance, several studies have shown that students who were told they were consuming alcoholic beverages (which in fact were non-alcoholic) perceived themselves as being ‘drunk,’ exhibited fewer physiological symptoms of social stress, and drove a simulated car similarly to other subjects who had actually consumed alcohol. The result is somewhat similar to the placebo effect.
In one classic study on this subject related to the hostile media effect (which is itself an excellent example of selective perception), viewers watched a filmstrip of a particularly violent Princeton-Dartmouth American football game. Princeton viewers reported seeing nearly twice as many rule infractions committed by the Dartmouth team than did Dartmouth viewers. One Dartmouth alumnus did not see any infractions committed by the Dartmouth side and erroneously assumed he had been sent only part of the film, sending word requesting the rest.
Selective perception is also an issue for advertisers, as consumers may engage with some ads and not others based on their preexisting beliefs about the brand. Seymour Smith, a prominent advertising researcher, found evidence for selective perception in advertising in the early 1960s, and he defined it to be ‘a procedure by which people let in, or screen out, advertising material they have an opportunity to see or hear. They do so because of their attitudes, beliefs, usage preferences and habits, conditioning, etc.’ People who like, buy, or are considering buying a brand are more likely to notice advertising than are those who are neutral toward the brand.
The Daily Omnivore 
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